Release mechanisms



'Y2587 (1R; 39521O35 July 21, 1970 TREHN ETAL 3,521,035

v RELEASE MECHANISMS Filed Nov. 25, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

A B C D July 21, 1970 TREHN ET AL 3,521,035

RELEASE MECHANISMS Filed Nov. 25, 1966 5'Sheets-Sheet 2 July 21, 1970 l,TREHN ET AL 3,521,035

RELEASE MECHANISMS Filed Nov. 25, 1966 5 Sheets- Sheet :5

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July 21, 1970 TREHN ET AL I 3,521,035

RELEASE MECHANISMS Filed Nov. 25, 1966 5 sheets sheet 5 Q 5 6 1 f 9 Q Jf 11 9 9 0 T 1,

g 1 1 m i w F 3 5v 5 1 fi United States Patent 5,382 Int. Cl. G061: /00,H04q 1/00 US. Cl. 235-6L7 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amechanism for releasing an operating cycle and in which the release isbound to a particular person comprises a sensing device for a cardpunched in accordance with a code identifying the person. A manuallyoperated selecting device correlated to the sensing device functions toeffect a release of the cycle only when manually operated switches inthe selecting device determined by the punched card in the sensingdevice are actuated in a given sequence, and the mechanism furtherincludes a selective arrangement for changing or preventing theoperating cycle with respect to a certain group or groups of punchedcards and/or for a certain individual punched card or cards.

This invention relates to a mechanism for releasing a cycle, where therelease is bound to a given person. Thus, an automatic check-up of theidentity of the person releasing the cycle takes place in conjunctionwith the release of the cycle. The mechanism can therefore be utilizedto advantage for identity check-up on persons entering and leaving acompany, plant, factory, establishment etc., and the released cycle maycomprise the opening of a shut door or simply the delivery of a signal,the lightening of a lamp etc. The mechanism is also suited for use inother connections such as the clocking-in and clocking-out registrationof employees presence check-up, and the opening and closing of electricswitches. The mechanism is also useful in cases where goods and servicesare obtained by self-service, the released cycle and/or other correlatedcircumstances being registered for later charge to customer accounts.The release of the cycle can thus consist for instance in the startingof a curbside petrol pump, whereupon the amount of fuel, time, place,quality, and of course the customer also is registered.

The mechanism comprises a sensing device for punched cards or the like,and a selecting device including push r buttons or the like, the sensingdevice being electrically connected to the selecting device in such away that the release mechanism will release the contemplated cycle onlywhen the selecting device is actuated in a manner determined by thepunched cards in the sensing device. According to the invention therelease mechanism is equipped with one or more additional units adaptedto change or prevent the cycle for a certain group or groups of punchedcards and/ or for a certain individual punched card or cards. This is ofthe utmost importance for safety reasons wherever persons are checked inand checked out by means of punched cards since cards not authorizingthe bearer to pass, can be blocked. The same applies when punched cards,such as credit cards and like cards, shall be blocked because the bearerhas exceeded his credit.

The above and further features of the invention and the advantagesgained thereby will appear from the following specification in whichreference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating anembodiment, chosen by way of example, of the release mechanism.

In the drawings:

3,521,035 Patented July 21, 1970 FIG. 1 shows one of the relay groups ofthe circuitry;

FIG. 2 shows a symbolic view of said relay group in the manner in whichit is illustrated in the following figures;

FIG. 3 shows the sensing device connected to a registration apparatus;

FIG. 4 shows the sensing device connected to the selecting device;

FIG. 5 shows how the function of the relay groups is varied between thedevices shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for registration and performance;

FIG. 6 schematically shows how some punched cards can be blockedindependently of each other by additional units.

The relay group shown in FIG. 1 in the form of a relay tree is adaptedto convert binary numbers into numbers according to the decimal system.The relay group thus comprises four relays A, B, C and D, and elevenoutgoing leads, ten of which represent digits 0, l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,and 9 while the eleventh lead represents the other possible digits, i.e.10 to 15, and is designated F In the present instance, the eleventh leadF represents error signals. The conversion of the binary numbers intonumbers according to the decimal system will appear from the followingtable in which 0 means that the relay in the table heading isdeenergized whereas X signifiies that the relay in question isenergized:

The leads in FIG. 2 corresponding to relays A, B, C and D have beengiven the same designations, for greater clarity.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the sensing device for the punched cards 11 isconnected over four relay groups 12 to a registering apparatus 13. Thesensing device preferably is an insertion pocket adapted to receive thepunched cards 11 and equipped with photo cells, the holes of saidpunched cards being arranged on the basis of the binary system, forwhich reason they can be utilized to advantage for data processing invarious connections. Thus, the binary sides of the relay group 12 areconnected to the sensing device while the decimal sides of said relaygroups are connected to the registrering apparatus 13. The relay groups12 being four in number, the punched cards 11 can represent four-digitnumbers. It is evident that the size of the numbers can vary with thenumber of relay groups 12 that the release mechanism incorporates.

According to FIG. 4 the relay groups 12 have their decimal sidesconnected to the selecting device 14 which comprises push buttons orlike means, such as the dial of a telephone. The lines P of the relaygroups 12 are coupled together to a common line on which an error signalis transmitted if a punched card 11 of wrong nature is used. The relaygroups 12 have the lines I, through which the pulses delivered from thepush buttons are to pass, coupled to a code unit 15 which is adapted todeliver a signal for releasing the cycle only when the push buttons inthe selecting device 14 determined by the punched card 11 in the sensingdevice are actuated in a given sequence.

The code unit is constituted by a contact group actuated by relays 16and adapted to deliver a pulse R for releasing the cycle when thecurrent through the lines I passes through the relay groups 12 in adetermined order. An error signal F is however, delivered if anotherorder should occur.

Further, the release mechanism is equipped with a code unit 17 adaptedto deliver an error signal if the wrong push button is actuated. Forthis purpose the relay groups 12 are connected through lines L on oneside, and the push buttons are connected through lines 18 on the otherside to a Wheatstone bridge in the code unit 17. In unbalanced state thebridge is adapted to deliver an error signal F when the wrong pushbutton (digit) is actuated.

The Wheatstone bridge consists of the four resistors R R R and R and ofthe two transistors T and T which are disposed crosswise at the pointsof symmetry of the bridge. When the correct push button is pressed thesame voltage drop is obtained over resistors R and R The bridge thusremains balanced and no signal is obtained. When the wrong push buttonis pressed no current is obtained through resistor R and as aconsequence no voltage drop across it. On the other hand, a current isobtained through resistor R whereby the voltage drop caused by saidcurrent results in an unbalance of the bridge, whereby an error signal Fis produced, the current passing through the transistor T In case a card11 is provided with hole markings corresponding to the same two digitsan error signal is obtained acoss transistor T According to the systemdescribed a punched card 12 thus must not represent two identicaldigits.

It appears from FIG. 5 how the function of the relay groups 12 is variedbetween the devices in FIGS. 3 and 4 for registration and performance.

As shown in FIG. 6 the release mechanism is equipped with one or moreadditional units 19 which are adapted to change or prevent the cycle fora certain group or groups of punched cards and/ or for a certainindividual punched card or cards.

The additional units 19 are constituted by transistors or like elements.Each of the transistors is coupled over diodes to all lines outgoingfrom the sensing device and having no counterparts in the form of holesin the punched card 11 corresponding to the additional unit 19. For theblocked punched card 11 no current therefore flows through the leadsfrom the sensing device. Due to the voltage applied to the additionalunits 19 at the insertion of the punched card 11 in the sensing devicethere is obtained a pulse F On the other hand, the additional unit 19 isalways supplied with current through the leads from the sensing devicewhen the latter cooperates with a punched card 11 having anothercombination of holes, said current preventing the additional unit fromdelivering a pulse.

As will appear from FIG. 6 the upper additional unit 19 which is adaptedto block a punched card bearing the digits 3561, will also block apunched card bearing the digits 2561. This is due to the latter carddiifering from the first card only by the fact that it lacks one of theholes of the first card. This shortcoming can be eliminated by avoidingsuch combinations of holes as may occasion double blocking. Theshortcoming can also be eliminated by making use of dummy holes 20. Foreach card shall have a definite number of holes, the number of dummyholes being dependent upon the number of holes required for thecontemplated combination of digits. In the embodiment shown, the holesshall be nine in number, at least one hole always being a dummy hole.The card shall thus have a maximum of eight identity holes, i.e. twoholes for each digit, which implies that digit 7 must not ever occur.The card bearing the digits 3561 thus has two dummy holes 20 while thecard bearing digits 2561 has three dummy holes 20.

In addition to the hole sensing means which are connected over the relaygroups 12 to the selecting device 14, the sensing device has furtherhole sensing means which are adapted to co-act with the dummy holes 20,said further hole sensing means being six in number, according to theembodiment shown. The lines from these further hole sensing means arealso arranged to be connected over diodes to the additional units 19.For the punched card bearing digits 3561 there are thus required fourdiodes while only three diodes are required for the punched card bearingthe digits 2561. As a consequence, there has been provided a differencemaking it possible to block certain punched cards 11 without resultingin other punched cards also being blocked, which is of the utmostimportance.

The dummy holes 20 can be employed to provide other functions also. Thenumber of dummy holes 20 in the card 11 may determine the relativesequence in which the relay groups 12 are coupled to the code unit 15. Areversal of the sequence of the relay groups relative to the code unit15 may thus be realized by means of the dummy holes 20.

As a rule, the additional units 19 for individual punched cards 11 shallbe disposed ahead of the relay groups 12, which FIG. 6 intends to show.On the other hand, group provisos that may have both positive andnegative content, shall preferably be placed after the relay groups 12,as these are mostly determined digitally.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mechanism for releasing a cycle, where the release is bound togiven persons having individual identification punched cards, each cardbeing encoded with the identify of a person, comprising a sensing devicefor sensing a persons punched card, one output line in said device foreach possible hole position on such punched cards, means for emittingelectrical signals on those of said lines that correspond to holes in apunched card being sensed, a selecting device, manually actuable switchmeans in said selecting device, comparing means electrically connectedto said output lines and said switch means for releasing the cycleconcerned Only when said switch means are actuated in a mannerdetermined by the encoded identity of the punched card being sensed, anda number of additional units adapted to prevent the cycle for a certaincard group, wherein each additional unit comprises a current controlledmeans which by means of diodes is coupled directly to and controlled bythe signals on all the output lines of said sensing device that have nocounterparts in holes in the punched card corresponding to theadditional unit, for preventing the cycle solely on the basis of theidentification of a punched card by said sensing device.

2. A release mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the sensing devicein addition to hole sensing means connected to the selecting device hasfurther hole sensing means adapted to co-act with so-called dummy holesin the punched cards, the lines from these further hole sensing meansalso being connected over diodes to the additional units.

3. A release mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the sensing devicehas so many hole sensing means for dummy holes that the number of holesin the punched cards can be kept constant, at least one hole preferablybeing a dummy hole.

DARYL W. COOK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 340l49

